Internal combustion engines are notorious for polluting the atmosphere, both by the emission of pollutants, and by emitting hot gases that contribute to the warming up of earth's atmosphere.
These polluting gases include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides. Many efforts have been and are being made to modify the extent of such pollution. One such effort involves the injection of water with the fuel, which can have a number of beneficial effects. These effects include: increased fuel efficiency, thereby diminishing overall fuel consumption, to conserve hydrocarbon fuels and to diminish atmospheric heat loading; and enhanced combustion characteristics, by diminishment of the production of carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides.
My earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,245 of Jul. 24, 1984, shows such a water injecting system. This earlier system incorporates a complex dual diaphragm vacuum-driven pump, with check valves, an air chamber, and solenoid assist, combined with a pressure responsive injection nozzle.
Prior to my above-identified system other systems included an electronic controller for a pump injecting a water spray into the carburetor airstream of an engine. The controller responds to a predetermined minimum engine speed to start the pump so as to operate upon the occurrence of negative back pressure in the engine manifold.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,729, issued July 1956, Wolcott, a double diaphragm regulating valve regulates water flow as a function of manifold negative back pressure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,745, a water injection system is responsive to positive pressure in the engine manifold, with higher specific water consumption at low loads than at higher loads and with unpredictable results for different sizes of engine.
These earlier systems are complex, expensive and somewhat ineffective.